Privacy I

John Koenig rolled over an hour before the alarm rang and reached out to caress his wife. He touched someone else instead. It startled him enough that he was sitting up in alarm before he recognized two-year-old Richard's breathing pattern. Helena stirred on the other side of their son at John's sudden movement.

"What's wrong?" she asked drowsily.

"Richard's in bed with us," John said, annoyed.

"So is Emma," Helena replied softly. "They arrived around three."

Richard spread out into the space his father had vacated and commandeered his father's pillow. John leaned over the edge of the bed looking for his pajamas. He had been wearing them when he went to bed the night before, but they had come off when Helena had joined him shortly after midnight. She had been spending extra time in her lab after the children were put to bed, trying to understand the problems Maya was having during her pregnancies. He sometimes felt that he never got to see his wife any more.

"Helena, I really hate it when they do this!" He stood, pulling on his pajama bottoms with a sigh.

"They're just babies, John and they're not used to this apartment yet." It was obvious that she would really prefer to turn over and go back to sleep.

"Well, they need to get used to it, and used to sleeping in their own beds," he growled, trying to tone his voice loud enough to keep his wife awake and quiet enough to keep his children asleep. Helena always seemed completely comfortable with the children crawling into bed with them. He found it disturbing. In fact, Helena's comfort level with bare skin had always been higher than his. He couldn't ever remember seeing his own parents unclothed and had never been welcome in their bedroom.

John lifted his son off of the bed, preparing to carry him back to his own bed.

"Hi!" came a cheery greeting from the floor.

"Alex?" John asked, holding still until he could locate his other son and avoid stepping on him.

"Emma got us up. She was lonely."

"Well, it's time to go back to your own bed," John said firmly.

"Okay," Alex stood and picked up the pillow and blanket he had brought with him and followed his father out of the room.

Helena sighed and reached out to turn up the lights a bit so John could see where he was going. She pulled Emma to her side of the bed and scanned around for her nightgown. Then she lifted Emma and carried the soundly sleeping child to her bedroom. Returning to her own bed with a yawn, she curled up in John's arms.

"I really wish they wouldn't do that," John grumbled.

She noticed that he had returned to bed with his pajamas on. She moved to touch him, hands finding their way underneath his clothing. "They need to feel secure. They come to us because it comforts them."

He held her close. "But it doesn't give us much privacy. I guess we'll just have to be more careful about keeping our clothes on."

Helena laughed softly. "John, you're not seriously thinking of keeping your clothes on all the time until the children are grown are you?" She was carefully untying the sash to his pajama top. Helena had tired of the Alphan standard pajamas and made herself several nightgowns, some even carefully cut to allow her to nurse the babies, but she seldom wore anything to bed.

Before he could reply, their bedroom door slid open. Alex padded back to the foot of their bed where he had been sleeping. "Forgot Bear," he explained. He picked up the much-worn and well-loved stuffed animal that always slept with him. "G'night!" He scampered back out of the room without bothering to shut the door behind him.

John's first reaction was to call him back to shut the door, but he restrained himself and reached for his slate on the nightstand and quietly gave the command for the door to close. He sighed. "I know they need to be near us, Helena, but can't we at least teach them to knock?"

Helena dissolved into laughter, which John finally silenced with his kiss.

 Ellen C. Lindow

May, 1999